


The right thing...

by TigerMultiverse



Series: RWBY stories [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Ch 12 alternative ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Major Character Injury, Post Salem, Time Skips, shes gone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:02:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26407684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerMultiverse/pseuds/TigerMultiverse
Summary: Slowly, Qrow opened his eyes and took a deep breath, his red eyes starting to go dull as he looked up into the sky before looking into Clover’s. He took a moment to answer. “Clover…” His voice was quiet and hoarse, and it was the most beautiful sound the Ace Op has ever heard.Chapter 12 but different, Qrow gets stabbed and don’t worry there is happy ending.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen & Leilah Monochrome (OC), Qrow Branwen & Oscar Pine & Jaune Arc & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Qrow Branwen & Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long, Qrow Branwen & Weiss Schnee & Blake Belladonna, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: RWBY stories [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885963
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	The right thing...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The airship crashed in the Tundra, Robyn was unconscious, and Qrow was forced to fight Clover with the psycho Tyrian. Feeling hurt at Clover’s betrayal, Qrow let’s the man know how much he was hurting. 
> 
> Unfortunately, neither of them were paying attention to the scorpion Faunus...

“Why couldn’t you just do the **right thing** , instead of the thing you were told?!”

Clover kneeled on the ground, panting for air as he held his aching side. He was still a bit stunned at how much Qrow’s punch hurt, especially enough to shatter his aura. The Ace Op groaned slightly as he began to push himself up onto his feet.

“Sometimes, the right decision is...the hardest to make.” As he spoke, he watched as Qrow’s expression, filled with anger and sorrow and fear, remained indifferent, but different emotions crossed his red eyes: sadness, grief, hurt, anger, fear, loathing, disappointment. It looked like Qrow wanted to break, to scream, to _hurt_ someone, but he just continued to stand there and glare at Clover, his fists shaking at his sides.

Clover shakes his head. “I trust James with my life! I wanted to trust you too!”

At those words, Qrow took a step back and his eyes widened briefly before rage overtook them, brows frowned and teeth bared as he growled at Clover. “You wanted to trust me? Well, I trusted you, I believed in you and everything you said, turns out I was wrong!”

Clover was taken aback by his words, but Qrow didn’t give him a chance to say anything as he began circling the Ace Op. “I was wrong about everything! I _really_ thought you cared about me, that you wanted to help me. I didn’t want to fight you, but who has ever cared about what I want? And you, you’re just like everyone else. I wanted you to be different.”

“Qrow please, I never wanted to hurt you!” Clover pleads, his chest starting to hurt.

“People I trust always hurt me!” The shapeshifter yells as he comes to a stop and slams his fist into Clover’s face, making the Ace Op stagger back as he holds his face in pain. “And you're no different!”

Tears start to brim in Qrow’s ruby eyes, but he doesn’t allow them to fall as he glares at his partner. His chest is hurting, filling with anger and hurt and grief and sorrow he’s almost certain it will break. He can’t help but think of all the people he trusted, people he loved, hurt him, left him, betrayed him. Qrow wanted Clover to be different from everyone else, he had helped him through so much, his withdrawals, his self-esteem, his semblance, and he thought maybe they could have been more than friends. But he was wrong. Clover was the same as everyone else. Qrow had learned to trust again, only to be hurt by someone he called a friend. It turns out Raven was right, he was weak and pathetic, he faced betrayal so many times he should be used to it.

“Guess I am nothing but bad luck if everyone I trust betrays me, hurts me. I’m better off alone, that way no one can hurt me!” The tears pooled in Qrow’s eyes and Clover felt his heart shatter. “Was everything you told me a lie? Did you really care, Clover, or was it all just some joke?”

“Qrow that’s not true! I still care about you!” Clover desperately shook his head, he didn’t want Qrow to think about that.

“Then why did you hurt me?! Why did you stab me in the back?!” Qrow yelled desperation and anger in his voice as a couple of tears fell down his cheeks.

It seemed like time slowed down as barely even a second later, Qrow’s eyes went wide and his body jerked as Harbinger was stabbed through his torso, blood instantly coating the broad blade and the man’s clothes. Clover’s eyes went wide and his blood went cold upon seeing Tyrian stab his partner with his weapon, a manic grin on the Faunus’ face. He giggled gleefully and yanked the sword from Qrow’s chest.

Qrow took a faltering step forwards, wheezing and gasping for air weakly, his hands on his bloody torso. He fell to his knees and looked at his blood coated hands, his red eyes meeting teal ones for a second before his aura flickered and broke, he fell on his side.

“QROW!” Clover cried out to his partner, his eyes never leaving the fallen man until he heard the Faunus’ deranged and manic giggling.

“Well, that’s a shame now, isn’t it?” Tyrian said, a bloody Harbinger propped up on his shoulder and a wicked grin on his face as he looked from Qrow’s limp body to Clover’s horror-stricken and rageful face.

**“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?”** Clover screamed, his body filling with rage and hate and hurt as he glared at the Faunus, his fists were shaking at his sides.

“What have I done? Ohoho, you mean, what did you do? I mean really, letting a serial killer run free while you tried to arrest your ‘ _friend_ ’? But I do have to thank you for helping me disarm him.” He laughed, twirling Harbinger before casting it onto the snowy ground, blood staining the pure white.

Clover faltered, his shoulders falling as grief and horror covered his face, his hands shaking violently. “I...I didn’t mean…”

“Oh, of course, you didn’t mean to hurt him. After all, you were just following orders.” Tyrian chuckled, sarcasm dripping from his tone. He gave one last look to the Ace Op before turning on his heel and running away.

Clover stood there and watched the Faunus run off into the distance before sprinting over to Qrow’s side. The shapeshifter had rolled onto his back and his eyes were closed, a drop of blood running from the corner of his mouth and down his cheek. He was almost deathly still, his chest rising and falling with labored and shallow breaths as the pool of blood beneath him continued to grow. Clover’s hand shook uselessly above Qrow before settling on the man’s bloody chest, trying to slow down the bleeding until the new transport got to them.

“Qrow? Qrow, can you hear me? Please, say something!” Clover pleaded, his green eyes beginning to sting as his heart thumped in his chest. He was desperate to see those beautiful wine red eyes that he fell in love with again, to know that Qrow was still here with him.

Slowly, Qrow opened his eyes and took a deep breath, his red eyes starting to go dull as he looked up into the sky before looking into Clover’s. He took a moment to answer. “Clover…” His voice was quiet and hoarse, and it was the most beautiful sound the Ace Op has ever heard.

“Qrow...your awake.” Clover sighed in relief. “Stay awake, Qrow. Stay with me. Please. You’re going to be fine.”

“We… we both know I’m not…” Qrow whispered, and he dared to smile and laugh weakly at the Ace Op.

Clover felt his eyes begin to water as he shook his head. “Don’t say that, Qrow! Just hold on, you’re going to be just fine.” His hands were coated in blood and his white pants were staining red but he didn’t _care_ , the only thing that mattered was Qrow.

“ _Clover…_ ” Qrow sounded weaker now, his red eyes going duller.

“Please, Qrow...dont say that stuff anymore. Just...just stay with me. It’s going to be alright.” Clover was just reassuring himself now, shaking his head and he wants nothing more than for all this to not be happening. He never wanted any of this to happen, he didn’t mean to hurt Qrow, for him to get hurt.

“ _...ver…_ ” Qrow’s voice came out in a whisper, it was almost too quiet for Clover to hear him.

“What is it, Qrow?” Clover asked, leaning his head closer to the shapeshifters so he could hear him better.

“...take...take care of my kids...keep them safe…” Qrow whispered.

“No, no. You can take care of them yourself, Qrow.”

Clover shakes his head as Qrow raises a hand and grabs onto one of the Ace Ops, holding it tightly despite his weakening state. His fading red eyes bore into green ones. “ _Please_ , Clover. Promise me you’ll look after them. Please…”

Clover’s shoulders fall and he squeezes Qrow’s hand tightly like a lifeline. “Okay, I promise I’ll take care of them. I swear…!”

Qrow sighs, his body sagging into the bloody snow as he relaxes. “Thank you…”

“I…” Clover’s voice wavered as tears filled his green eyes and his heart started to break. “I’m sorry, Qrow. I-I never meant to hurt you. I’m so sorry…”

“It-It’s okay…” He weakly squeezed the Ace Ops hand and smiled lightly.

“It’s not, Qrow!” Clover protested, shaking his head before opening his eyes to stare into the other man’s. “But I swear, Qrow, the kids will be safe, and Tyrian will take the fall. I swear.”

Qrow’s breathing became quieter and more shallow, his chest barely rising. Then, he weakly took his hand from Clover’s grasp and reached into his shirt, pulling out his cross necklace. He roughly tugged the cord and it snapped from his neck. With his last remaining stregnth, he placed the necklace in Clover’s hand and clasped it in his own.

_“Good luck…”_ He whispered, the sun rising behind the Ace Op and Qrow couldnt help but think it was a welcome sight.

As Qrow watched the sunrise, his mind drifted to happy memories of his team, of Raven, of Tai and Summer, of Ruby and Yang and Leilah, of the other teenagers he took under his wings and called his kids, of James and Lynn, his two best friends, of Clover... _Maybe,_ his thoughts wispered, _i can see Summer again…_ It was a nice, thought...

With his final thought, the light faded from Qrow’s eyes and his head lolled back, the hand clasping Clover’s went limp and dropped to the ground. Clover stared at Qrow’s limp, bloody body with wide, watery eyes before the dam breaks and tears fall down his cheeks, and his _wails_. The sound echoing through the empty tundra as the sun rose.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Clover whished he had done the right thing...


End file.
